glithero designs six immersive installations for mudac's contemporary perfumers exhibition

london design studio glithero has designed the scenography for the exhibition ‘nez-à-nez contemporary perfumers’ at musée de design et d’arts appliqués contemporains (mudac) in lausanne. showcasing the fragrances of outstanding contemporary perfumers such as jean-claude elena, rodrigo flores-roux, vero kern, dominique ropion and isabelle doyen, the six bespoke installations engage visitors in an immersive experience through the museum’s six rooms.

all images by daniela droz and tonatiuh ambrosetti

mudac has worked closely with experts from the olfactory magazine nez to select the fragrances and curate the exhibition, dividing it in three different levels: evocative installations presenting the common themes that unite work of two or three perfumers; interview testimonials that express each creator’s experience; and general information about the craft together with a central reading room that provides further insight into the complex and demanding world of perfume making. each room in ‘nez-à-nez contemporary perfumers’ is characterized by one of glithero‘s poetic installations, aimed at making the immateriality of perfumes tangible by engaging the visitor in novel ways. for example, in the room that brings to together perfumers known for being flamboyant and extrovert, perfumes are presented in scented fans that emerge out of tables.

in another room, which brings together perfumers known for their innovative approach, scents are contained in conical glass vessels. kept closed by a ping pong ball and tethered to a large helium filled balloon, the vessels release their perfume once visitors pull down the string of the balloon so that the seal is opened. a central piece of the exhibition is a stained glass window, designed by glithero, for the room of perfumers who draw inspiration from historic formulas. the window, depicting perfume bottles through the ages, floods the space in colored light and occasionally brushes over the vessels of scent.